cliff-hanging

6.3

Makes people feel excited and nervous because the result is unknown until the last moment

adjective
/ˈklɪfˌhæŋɪŋ/

: suspenso

As the explorer reached the cliff's edge, the cliff-hanging situation added to the thrill of the adventure.

Examples

Cut in at a moment of heightened suspense, aka a cliff-hanging moment.

Academic text (2011)
The movie was filled with cliff-hanging sequences, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
The final episode ended on a cliff-hanging moment that left viewers eager for the next season.

Synonyms

suspenseful

vscliff-hanging

17 4.8

Making you feel nervous and unsure about what will happen

is more tightly tied to last moment uncertainty and excitement

touch-and-go

vscliff-hanging

Informal

9 7.2

A situation that is dangerous or uncertain until the last moment

emphasizes suspenseful excitement rather than danger or risk

nail-biting

vscliff-hanging

Informal

3 4.2

Making you feel very nervous and excited while you wait to see what happens

is similar but focuses more on suspense than anxious fear

cliffhanging

vscliff-hanging

5.5

Causing strong suspense by leaving the result unknown

is the hyphenated spelling of the same idea

suspensive

vscliff-hanging

Literature

8.1

Making people feel uncertain and wait to see what happens

is stronger and specifically about urgent last moment suspense

How Suspenseful

nail-biting

Informal

3 4.2

cliff-hanging

6.3

suspenseful

17 4.8

tense

310 3.6

Surface Forms

cliff-hanging positive

Morphology

cliff-hanging = cliff + hang (semi-transparent) = cliff + hang + ing

The expression is built from the literal image of something hanging from a cliff, but the suspenseful figurative meaning is only partly predictable.

Etymology

Cliff-hanging comes from the image of someone hanging off a cliff while a story stops before you know what happens, a picture often used in old adventure films. So a cliff-hanging moment keeps you in 'suspense' and guessing until the last moment.